Flexure, penetration, thermomechanical

In thermomechanical analysis (TMA) the deformation of the sample under stress is monitored against time or temperature while the temperature increases or decreases proportionally to time. Changes are detected by mechanical, optical, or electrical transducers. The stress may be a compression, penetration, tension, flexure, or torsion. Generally the instruments are also able to measure the sample dimensions, a technique called thermodilatometry. The stress F/A) expressed in N/m or Pa may be a normal tensile stress cr, a tangential shearing stress x, or a pressure change Ap the force applied is F and A is the area. 

Thermomechanical analysis allows the calculation of thermal expansivity from the same data set as used to calculate the Tg. Since many materials are used in contact with a dissimilar material in the final product, knowing the rate and amount of thermal expansion helps design around mismatches that can cause failure in the final product. These data are only available when the Tg is collected by thermal expansion, not by the flexure or penetration method. This is in many ways the simplest or most essential form of TMA measurement. A sample is prepared with parallel top and bottom surfaces and is allowed to expand under minimal load (normally 5mN or less, ideally OmN) as it is slowly heated and/or cooled. The CTE is calculated by ... 

Thermomechanical analysis methods are used in geometries more commonly associated with traditional mechanical testing to increase sensitivity or to mimic other tests. The most common of these are the flexural and penetration modes. Flexure studies involve loading a thin beam, often a splinter of material, with a constant load of lOOmN or more and heating until... 

In thermomechanical analysis (TMA), the change in mechanical properties is measured as a function of temperature and/or time. A probe in contact with the sample moves as the sample undergoes dimensional changes. The movement of the probe is measured with an LVDT. The sample deformations that can be measured are compression, penetration, extension, and flexure or bending. 

Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) measures the deformation of a material contacted hy a mechanical prohe, as a function of a controlled temperature program, or time at constant temperature. TMA experiments are generally conducted imder static loading with a variety of probe configurations in expansion, compression, penetration, tension, or flexime. In addition, various attachments are available to allow the instrument to operate in special modes, such as stress relaxation, creep, tensile loading of films and fibers, flexural loading, parallel-plate rheometry, and volume dilatometry. The type of probe used determines the mode of operation of the instrument, the manner in which stress is apphed to the sample, and the amount of that stress. 

Thermomechanical Analysis. The equipment used in thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is similar in principle to that for TD, but provision is made for applying various types of load to the specimen, so that penetration, extension, and flexure can be measured. This approach to analyzing such modes of deformation is illustrated schematically in Figure 15. The technique finds most use in polymer studies, as in the determination of glass-transition and softening temperatures for thin films and shrinkage characteristics of fibers. 

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